Saltwater Rod Question

Has anyone ever built a saltwater fly rod (#9, #12, #14) on a Sage stick, that has SIC (?) guides all the way up the entire length of the rod? I've seen where Angler's Workshop has sets available, but was wondering if it affected the action of the rod when compared to snake guides.

SiC guides would be Silicon Carbide. The ones I've used have been manufactured by Pac Bay. Anything you put on the rod will slow it down - guides, epoxy, etc. I think any added weight dampening on rod stiffness (and subsequent "fastness") from the SiC guides would be counteracted by having half as many thread wraps and epoxy applications on the blank. Unless you were thinking of using single foot wire guides...

Jake,
Thank you for the reply. I would agree with you if I were going to build a trout/steelhead rod. Maybe even a #12, 9-footer might be affected by the added weight, etc. I think a #14, 8' rod may not. I may build the rods first with either snake guides and/or single foot, but I will finish the windings with varnish. That way, the varnish can be removed more readily than epoxy, which is painful. If I like the feel of the double-footed SIC guides, I can epozy over it.
Thanks, ED

I've used varnish on several rods and been happy with it - the largest was a 8/9 spey. I am glad I used varnish now, because I just busted the blank in the butt section, and it will be a lot easier to get my H&H guides off there now! Post some pictures when you get it built - I'd love to see that thing when you get it built up!

Jake,
Remember, this will be on a 14-weight stick/club. At that point, I don't think we're really interested in flex and finesse. With a 100-pound+ fish on the end of the line, the 2-footers become a mute point. I think that the 2-footers will be a better mechanical attachment over the one-foot guides. Just some thoughts. ED